The French Senate has adopted the framework bill on transport development, and one of the measures introduced directly targets the rail ticket market: the SNCF Connect platform would be required to display services from independent long-distance operators as well, not just those of the SNCF group. The measure strikes at one of the most sensitive points of rail competition in France: control over digital ticket distribution.
For passengers, the stakes are clear. If a train does not appear on the dominant sales platform, it remains practically invisible to a large portion of the public. In this regard, the text adopted by the Senate seeks to address the growing fragmentation of the ticket market and to facilitate passengers’ access to a more complete picture of available rail offers.
Tickets become a central theme in the new transport law
The draft framework law on transport development stems from a broader issue: France needs massive investments to modernize infrastructure, reduce emissions, increase network resilience, and develop credible alternatives to road transport.
The text addresses multi-year funding, the regeneration and modernization of existing infrastructure, the diversification of mobility resources, and the promotion of public transportation.
In the form adopted by the Senate, however, the bill is not limited to funding and infrastructure. One of the areas where senators amended the text is ticketing and passenger rights, based on the idea that, in an increasingly fragmented landscape, access to tickets must be simplified.
This also includes the obligation imposed on SNCF Connect to display the services of competing long-distance operators.
The stakes of the legislative changes
The underlying issue is one familiar throughout Europe: incumbent operators often also control the dominant sales platforms, and this allows them to maintain a privileged position in their relationship with passengers.
In France, SNCF Connect is the main digital gateway for train tickets. If the law proceeds in this form, the platform will no longer be able to function solely as a showcase for the SNCF group’s offerings but will also have to display trains from independent long-distance operators.
Even if the measure does not yet mean full display and comprehensive sales for all services from all operators, it opens a significant breach in a system where distribution has until now been a major obstacle to competition.
The Senate links the reform to promoting public transportation
The official summary of the bill clearly shows that the Senate sought to promote public transport, including through an ambitious reform of ticketing and passenger rights. Among the changes introduced is the explicit aim of making it easier for users to purchase tickets, in a context where the market is becoming increasingly fragmented.
This means that the measure regarding SNCF Connect does not stand alone, but is part of a broader strategy: if the French government wants more rail travel and more alternatives to driving, access to tickets must become simpler and more transparent.
A signal for the rest of Europe as well
ALLRAIL, the organization representing independent rail operators, welcomed the Senate vote and presented it as an important step toward opening up the ticket market in France. But even beyond ALLRAIL’s reaction, the political signal is significant: one of Europe’s largest rail markets is beginning to address an issue that Brussels is also discussing with increasing urgency—that of digital booking platforms and fair access to passengers.
In short, the issue is not just competition among operators, but also who controls the relationship with the end customer. And here, the French Senate seems to be saying that dominant platforms can no longer remain completely closed.
What’s Next
The text adopted by the Senate does not conclude the legislative process, but it clearly ramps up the pressure on the issue of ticket distribution. If this direction is maintained through to the final form of the law, France could take one of the most concrete steps in Europe toward requiring a dominant platform to display competitors’ offers as well.
For travelers, the effect could be very simple: greater visibility, more options, and an easier comparison of available trains. For the market, it would be a direct blow to one of the incumbent operator’s most significant advantages.
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